Cushion-tread and the like for boots and shoes.



No. 809,964. PATENTBD JAN. 16, 1906. L; R. LUCHTERHAND & H. W. NEWTON. CUSHION TREAD AND THE LIKE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.Z0, 1905.

Ivveiwvrs' iz R? (Wm; M QY. {Yd/CTN QZWQU Em UNITE STATES PATENT FFIOE.

LOUIS R. LUOHTERHAND AND HERBERT W. NEWTON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CUSHlON-TREADAND THE LIKE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed March 20, 1905. Serial No. 250,930.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LOUIS R. LUCHTER- HAND and HERBERT W. NEWTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cushion Treads-and the Like for Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The general object of our. invention is to provide for the use in connection with the heels and soles of boots and shoes of plugs or blocks of material suitable for saving the wearer from jar or concussion, preventing slipping, and taking the wear that is incident to service.

The invention consists in a tread comprising a lift or its equivalent forming part of the heel or sole of a boot or shoe or adapted to be attached to a boot or shoe as a portion of the heel or sole thereof and having one or more blocks or plugs of suitable material as aforesaid, which are held in place in connection therewith by novel and improved means operating to retain the same effectively and securely against all liability to become detached during service, while permitting them to be renewed readily when worn.

The invention is equally applicable to heels and soles.

\Ve have shown an embodiment of our invention in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a bottom view of a tread for a heel havinga series of blocks or plugs applied thereto. Fig. 2- shows the same in edge view or side elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing, on an enlarged scale, a portion of the said tread, a block or plug, and securing means for the said block or plug. Fig. 4 shows in vertical section the socket, which is fixedly connected with the tread. Fig. 5 shows the said socket in horizontal section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 5 5, Fig. at. Fig. 6 shows a block or plug in elevation, detached, and on an enlarged scale. Fig. T shows the said block or plug in plan.

Having reference to the drawings, two layers of leather 1 2 are shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The said layers when placed together, as in the drawings, constitute a heel section or lift suitable for being connected with a boot or shoe by being attached to the base portion of the heel of said boot or shoe. Two layers are shown placed together in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 in order to afford a convenient thickness; but the number of layers employed in the heel section or lift and the thickness of the latter may be varied in practice as deemed advisable. Blocks or plugs are shown at 3 3. The material of which the said blocks or plugs are composed will be suitable to the results which it is designed to accomplish. Various materials adapted to be employed to secure the results which have been mentioned herein are known. \Ve therefore do not limit ourselves in all cases to the use of particular material, although we will describe our invention herein with more especial reference to the use of india-rubber.

In conformity with our invention the lift is provided or formed with sockets, in which the blocks or plugs 3 3 are received and held with portions of the blocks or plugs projecting from the lift, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to make contact with the surface walked upon. The blocks or plugs are retained in place within the said sockets by means of dogs or latches holding them from dropping or being dragged out. Herein the sockets are constituted by sleeves i, one of which is shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4., and 5, which are seated in holes that are made through the thickness of the lift. In order to prevent the sleeves from dropping or working out of the said holes, each thereof is secured from outward movement by means of a radial enlargement 5, Figs. 3 and 4, herein constituted by a rim or flange upon the inner or upper end of each sleeve, which engages with the material of the lift. The dogs 01' latches by which a block or plug is locked in place within the socket therefor are shown at 6 6, Figs. 3, 6', and 7. These dogs or latches may be differently applied in practice without involving departure from the spirit of ourinvention. Herein they are mounted in connection with the plug and are arranged to engage with the wall of the socket containing the block or plug. Each block or plug is furnished with a jacket 7, that covers the portion of the length thereof which occupies the socket, the said jacket being of a size to enter the socket and fit therein, as shown in Fig. 3. The body portion of each dog or latch is located within the jacket 7 Holes 8 8 8 are formed in the shell of the jacket, through which the engaging portions of the dogs or latches project from the interior of the jacket, the said holes being arranged to register with other holes 9 9 9, which are formed in the shell of the socket to receive the said engaging portions. It is intended that the dogs or latches shall be elastically actuated. To this end the body portions thereof within the jacket are pressed against, in the present instance, by the mate'- rial (india-rubber) of the body of the block or plug, such pressure operating with a tendency to bear the dogs or latches outwardly. In the operation of inserting a block or plug into a socket the engaging ends of the dogs or latches are pressed inward as they pass into the outer portion of the socket, and they slide along the inner wall of the socket until they are presented to the holes 9 9 9 of the socket, whereupon they enter such holes. Thereby the block or plug is locked in working position. To facilitate the insertion of the block or plug into the socket, the backs of the engaging portions of the dogs or latches may be rounded or beveled off, so that when they make contact with the outer end of the socket the dogs or latches will be wedged inwardly. In order to prevent undesired escape of the body of the block or plug from the jacket, the latter is provided with tongues 10 10, inclining inwardly into engagement with the said body, the free extremities of the said tongues extending toward the inner end of the jacket. As will be apparent, by means of the tongues the body of the block or plug is securely held within the jacket, and by means of the dogs or latches the jacket and contained body portion are locked within the socket. The block or plug thereby is retained in place during use. When, however, the exposed portionv of a block or plug has been worn away, the said block or plug may be removed for the purpose of enabling a fresh one to be inserted in its place by forcibly extracting the body of the block or plug from the jacket by means of any tool suitable for the purpose, which extraction will release the dogs or latches and allow the jacket to be withdrawn.

We claim as our invention 1. A cushion-tread for boots and shoes com prising, essentially a lift, a socket applied to the said lift, a sleeve or jacket removably fitting within the said socket, a cushioning-plug contained within the said sleeve or jacket, and one or more latches locking the sleeve or jacket and its contained plug within the said socket.

2. A cushion-tread for boots and shoes comprising, essentially, a lift, a socket seated within a hole in said lift, a cushioning-plug in'combination, a block of cushioning material, a sleeve or jacket inclosing a portion of the length of the said block and provided with means for preventing withdrawal of the block therefrom, a lift, a socket applied to the said lift and within which the said sleeve or jacket removably fits, and one or more latches locking the sleeve or jacket and its contained plug in place within the sleeve.

4. In a tread for boots and shoes, in combination, a lift, a socket seated within a hole in said lift and provided with means whereby it is secured against withdrawal, a plug removably fitting within the said socket, and one or more latches whereby the said plug is locked in place within the said socket.

5. In a cushion-tread for boots and shoes, in combination, alift, a socket seated within a hole in said lift and radially enlarged at its inner end, whereby it is secured against with drawal, a block of cushioning material, asleeve or jacket containing said block, provided with an inwardly-projecting catch to retain the latter within the same, and removably fitting within said socket, and means-to lock the said sleeve or jacket in place within the said socket.

6. A cushion-tread for boots and shoes comprising, essentially, a lift provided with a socket, a cushioning-plug provided with a sleeve or jacket removably fitting within the said socket, and one or more latches applied to the said sleeve or jacket and held .by the cushioning material in engaging position, whereby the plug is secured within the socket through engagement of the latches with the latter.

7. A tread for boots and shoes comprising, essentially, a lift, a socket seated within a hole in said lift, a plug entering the said socket from the exterior of the latter, and one or more elastically-operated latches whereby the plug is retained in place within the socket.

In testimonysvhereof We affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS It. LUCHTERHANDQ HERBERT W. NEWTON.

lVitnesses:

CHAS. F. RANDALL, EDITH J. ANDERSON. 

